Drink and Dance and Laugh and Lie
by gothangelic
Summary: Kojiro has been running his entire life. Having come to the end of the road, his decisions will be what defines him and his future. Standing to face his demons may cost him everything he's ever loved. Kojiro/Musashi overall. Rating increase due to ch.4
1. Chapter 1

I'll be using the Japanese names for the characters in this fic, mainly because I think they carry more character than their English counterparts. Also, despite my (mostly) love for Eric Stuart's voice, it can't compare to the original. (Kojiro isn't a bumbling idiot all of the time, dangit!) Japanese familial names are listed first in order. So anyway, for reference purposes:

**Sasaki Kojiro** : James  
**Miyamoto Musashi** : Jessie  
**Nyase** : Meowth  
**Hiramatsu Rumika** : Jessiebelle  
**Sakaki Giovanni** : Giovanni  
**Sasaki Miki** : James' Mother (unnamed in canon)  
**Sasaki Shinichirou** : James' Father (unnamed in canon)  
**Miyamoto** : Jessie's Mother  
**Koyasu Mondo** : Mondo  
**Junsar** : Officer Jenny(s)

The title is from a Dorothy Parker quote: "Drink and dance and laugh and lie, love the reeling midnight through, for tomorrow we shall die (but alas we never do)!"

All standard disclaimers apply. All recognizable characters (c) their respective creators. I own nothing except the plot and ideas contained herein. Rating subject to skyrocket.

* * *

The day's heat started to settle before the sun had even risen. The atmosphere seemed to burn as the the day star began its ascent, and swarms of mosquitoes emerged from seemingly nowhere to feast at first light. By mid-day, the wet heat was sweltering; and by mid-afternoon, it was positively unbearable. The first hint of respite from the day's heat was gained by watching the sun finally set behind the wall of trees in the forest. That day had felt like the dead of summer after a rainstorm, but indeed, it was well past that; winter was two weeks away, so the calendar said, though first frost hadn't even coloured the trees. It was well after midnight and by all rights after such a damp and sweaty day in the forests of Johto, Kojiro should have been asleep like his partners.

The remains of the small fire they had built to cook their dinner on was merely embers now, and made its continued, if dying, presence known by issuing a loud snap. Kojiro looked up, startled, making sure that neither Musashi nor Nyase had woken.

Musashi was curled up on her side, her hair still damp from their earlier foray into the river to cool off. She slept facing away from the fire pit, her sleeping bag draped haphazardly under her, white Rocket Dan blazer wadded beneath her neck as a pillow. Kojiro watched her sides heaving gently with her breaths, a small fond smile forming. Not farther away was Nyase, sprawled out like a shooting victim, snoring loudly on the flat of a downed tree. He twitched occasionally, but appeared to be sleeping soundly.

Kojiro's expression fell as he turned his attention back to the DEX computer that he was monitoring with more and more concern. Something was happening. Something wasn't right. He stared at the video on screen intently as he watched the feed from his parents' mansion in Kanto from earlier that day. When last he'd been there, despite the very obvious danger that he'd been in, he'd found the opportunity to bug the computer system.

He realized that fate was writing his future without his consent, and he could do nothing but watch. He watched the footage from earlier in the day, listening on an ear piece as his mother, who had been pacing like a caged cat, scrambled to answer the phone. Kojiro felt himself go numb, his blood pulsing like ice through his veins as the words 'cancer' and 'terminal' registered in his mind. His father was dying, the man on the phone said; he would not see the beginning of the next Spring.

He heard the tremor in his mother's voice as she thanked the doctor for calling, and his heart broke a to see her hang up the phone and slump onto the floor, her hand over her mouth as if she could stifle her sudden sobs. She stayed there but a moment, then brushed herself off as she righted herself, wiping gently at her eyes with a handkerchief pulled from seemingly nowhere, and sniffing delicately, a determined look on her face.

At her husband's bedside, she looked down at him, and he nodded, already seeming to know the bad news he bore. "There's nothing for it, then, Miki," he said on a sigh, looking at her steadily. Kojiro could barely make out what he was saying. "It's time. Bring Kojiro home." Kojiro's heart leapt into his throat.

"What if he won't return, Shinichirou?" Miki asked softly.

"He will, or we'll bring that entire organization and everyone in it down around his ears," he said like he was speaking of the strange weather. She nodded.

Kojiro knew that they had an idea of where he was. The investigative agency hired by his parents was surprisingly accurate in tracking his movements; they were off by only a few towns. He had noticed that there was more activity around the mansion recently, and that had raised flags for him. Kojiro knew that they had something big in the works but he didn't realize the magnitude of what was actually going on.

It was scary just how much information that the agency had amassed in weeks past. Rocket Dan was still active, though they were precariously perched, and had been keeping their activities low key since the defeat and retreat of Sakaki Giovanni by the child prodigy Satoshi, and his pet rat. The rumor circling was that he was still in hiding somewhere in the Tohjo Falls area, but nothing had been heard from him. Kojiro suspected it would be a long time in coming if he ever returned. His parents would likely bring the whole thing down before the man had the change to come back.

Their last attempt at forcing their prodigal son and heir to return home to his duties as a son, they were willing to fake their deaths. This time, he thought, it isn't a ruse. This time, they were willing to destroy the people that he held dear. They wanted him back, and he suddenly knew that it would happen. They may be horrible people sometimes, but they were still his parents.

And his father was dying, he though, holding back tears.

Kojiro's clenched his jaw was starting to ache, his brow furrowed over eyes like emerald chips. He shook his head; he couldn't afford to be selfish anymore and just keep running. He needed to keep his friends out of the line of fire, no matter the cost. Running was no longer an option.

But there was something that he had to do first.

He opened the messenger window on his DEX and activated the direct connection to Koyasu Mondo. While lower-ranking, Mondo was insanely good at getting his favourite pair of Rockets anything and everything they'd ever needed, no matter how trivial, or how extravagantly outlandish.

"Mondo? Are you awake?" he typed into the communication window.

"Yes. It's 2am. Of course I'm awake," came the obviously sarcastic response despite being merely text a moment later.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but I don't think that this can wait. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I'm at my place, so I'm on a secure line, too."

"Hear me out before you say anything."

There was a pause before Mondo finally replied, "Okay."

"I need you to set up a new identity. Rocket Dan is going to be under attack in the very near future." There was another long pause before the typing indicator lit back up.

"Really? You're serious?"

"As a heart attack," he typed. Ironic, he supposed.

"What's the occasion?"

"My parents finally have enough information to bring the organization crashing down around the Masked Man's ears, and the means to get it done."

"How do you know?"

"I've been surveilling them and Rumika since they faked their deaths to try and make me return home. I've been watching them more closely than they've been watching me." He shuddered at the thought of Rumika getting him back; at least this time, he would, hopefully, have the upper hand.

"This is insane, Kojiro!"

"You don't know the half of it. So. New lives for Nyase and Musashi. They'll need all the pertinent accounts and documents."

"How do you want me to do this?"

"Push the details into a DEX and mail it via private courier to a holding address. Make sure you send one there for yourself, while you're at it. Even if you don't believe me, think of it as a safety net. I don't want to see them take you down, too. You've been good to us over the years."

"I don't know what to say..."

"You don't need to say anything. Just get it done."

"What's my time line?"

"A week or less, unless I completely miss my mark. There's a private courier called 'Flight' on Cinnabar that knows me; I've used their services before. They know who I am, and will hold anything I send them indefinitely. Ask for the branch manager, and tell him that, whatever he's wearing, he wears it well. He'll know what to give you, then."

"I'm already started. I'm setting up a program to run automatically; if anything does happen, the Rocket Dan mainframe will automatically remove all trace of the three of you as well as myself, and destroy the computers that are connected to it. That way, nothing will be able to bite you down the line. I just can't believe this is happening." Kojiro sighed. He couldn't believe it either, any of it. But there it was.

"I know," he sent. "Just try not to get caught if everything goes pear-shaped. If I have any more information, you'll be the first to know. Message me when you're finished, and the account information to take the money from is on its way. It's offshore, so they shouldn't give you any problems. Divide the whole thing up into 2 accounts; one for yourself, and one for Musashi; make sure they can't be traced back to the original."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Kojiro-san. You don't know what it means to me to be the one that you came to for this. It's nice to be trusted, for what it's worth."

"It's worth everything, Mondo. Thank you."

When Kojiro disconnected the line, he was greeted by Nyase's concerned expression from across the fire. The cat stared at his friend. Kojiro took a momentary glance at Musashi; she was still peacefully asleep atop her bundled sleeping bag.

"Kojiro?" he asked. "Who was on the DEX this late?"

"Mondo," he answered curtly, though it was not usually in his nature to be short with people. Nyase narrowed his eyes.

"It's after two, though," he pointed out.

"Yes it is. You should be asleep. We have an early day tomorrow."

"You should be asleep, too," the cat responded, sitting up on the fallen tree. "What's keeping you awake?"

"Nothing, Nyase," he said with a sigh.

"Musashi would clobber you for lying." Kojiro nodded. Yes, she would have.

"Luckily, she's not awake."

"I could wake her," Nyase threatened.

"You could. But then, you'd be the one getting smacked." Nyase grimaced; his partner was right. He watched as Kojiro's eyes drifted away from him to settle almost sadly upon their sleeping comrade.

"Come on, Kojiro. You've been distracted all day. What's going on?" he tried.

"It was the heat. I'm fine. I just can't sleep." Kojiro knew that his argument wasn't very convincing to Nyase. He sighed. "Go back to sleep, Nyase. It's nothing, really." He tried a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"If you can't trust us, why are you still part of this team?" Nyase asked coldly, not pleased at having been lied to. Kojiro froze, staring at the cat. Did he know? Nyase's eyes widened at his friend's reaction. "You're leaving us," he accused, stunned. His voice had gotten louder, and Musashi shifted restlessly in her sleep.

"Hush, Nyase! Don't wake her! It's not like that."

"Were you just planning to leave without telling us?" the cat hissed.

"Damnit," he swore under his breath. "Come over here so you don't have to be so loud." Nyase came over grudgingly. "Now shut your big mouth and look at the video. You may as well know the whole thing, instead of making it up as you go along." Kojiro handed Nyase his DEX. His eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. The current scene was that of a bustling computer lab.

"They're going to try to destroy Rocket Dan," Nyase said, sounding ill as he watched the investigators working alongside a lone Junsar in what was clearly a Rocket Dan database.

"Rocket Dan won't even be a bump beneath my parents' tires," Kojiro explained as the cat's eyes reflected the video of the people that would destroy them. "They want me back, Nyase."

"We'll run. We'll leave Rocket Dan-"

"I can't, Nyase."

"Yeah, you can."

"Nyase, my father has less than two months to live. They're going to come after me, and destroy everything in their path. I can't... I won't do that to you. To her," he said, looking over at Musashi, who still slept peacefully. "I can't run anymore."

"Kojiro," Nyase started, for once in his speaking lifetime, not having the words to convey what he was feeling. Kojiro just shook his head. No words were needed.

"Why were you on the DEX with Mondo?"

"I'm having him set up new lives for you and Musashi."

"What?"

"Ssh! Keep it down!" he growled. "If they pull this off, I don't want you to have to worry about being caught in the crossfire over me." Nyase looked stunned. "Musashi can't know. I can't run from them forever. I'm out of road. If I don't come back soon, they may try to come after you and Musashi to get to me. I can't let that happen," he said, sounding desperate.

"What are you going to do? They're going to marry you off to Rumika and expect a million little Kojiros running around to continue the family line if you go back."

"There's no 'if' about it, Nyase. It's going to happen," he said sadly. "Please, don't say anything to Musashi. I don't want her to worry about me."

Kojiro wadded his uniform up and leaned back against it, pulling the DEX back out from his pocket and pulled the video feeds back up. Morning was going to be a long time coming for Kojiro as he watched his parents' employees digging deeper and deeper into the files and sightings. He knew, now, that he was on borrowed time. Again, he stared at his father's image. We both are, he thought.

"But, Kojiro, what are you going to do?" he asked again.

"Whatever I have to," he said, a hardness slipping into his countenance that Nyase did not yet understand.

"Mondo is helping?"

"Yes. He's going to try to bulk up the security without alerting either party. All the information is going to be on the card in my DEX. Take it to Cinnabar Island to the courier called Flight if something happens."

"You're not going to tell the Masked Man about all this?"

"No. There's nothing else I want to save. Beyond some of the people that I've met here, I don't care about the rest of the crime syndicate. You and Musashi are my primary concern."

"Kojiro," he started, not knowing what to say. He had no idea that Kojiro held Musashi and him in such high regard, or was going to try to protect the both of them.

"Don't worry, Nyase," he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "At least I don't have to worry about running anymore after this. Either from Rocket Dan, or from my responsibilities. One way or another, it'll be over."

Kojiro watched Nyase stumble back to his tree stump in a daze to wait for morning. He could commiserate; news like that would've hit anyone quite hard. He doubted the poor cat would find much rest in the coming days.


	2. Chapter 2

All standard disclaimers apply. All recognizable characters (c) their respective creators. I own nothing except the plot and ideas contained herein. Rating subject to skyrocket.

* * *

The next morning had dawned as sweltering as the last. The only difference this day was that, despite the vicious heat, Nyase was silent, almost withdrawn. Musashi didn't seem to notice.

"Why do we always chase everyone into the forests?" she asked aloud. This had obviously been bothering her for a long time. Perhaps even minutes. Kojiro was sure it had felt like much longer to her.

"Why can't we just take a vehicle of some kind?" she continued. "Something with air conditioning. I need a vacation. And a spa day," Musashi grumbled.

"It's almost the end of the day," Kojiro said, sounding vaguely absent, though he had been paying sharp attention to his team and their surroundings. He was heading them toward Kogane City, their destination clear in his mind. If he was living this life on borrowed time, he had already decided that this would be the last day that he wasted. "The city is still a couple hours walk from here if you want to try and make it."

"Oh, a bed sounds absolutely heavenly," Musashi said, her voice far away and dreamy. "A bed and a shower. And real food."

Even Nyase perked up at the thought of prepared food. Their rations had been running rather thin the last couple of days, but they weren't due to check in at headquarters until early next week.

"Kogane, it is," Kojiro declared with a flourish, and the team walked on, thought of their destination putting a spring in their steps.

It was an exhausted but excited trio that reached the city limits of Kogane at nightfall. Musashi and Kojiro had packed away their Rocket Dan gear while they were still trekking through the woods so they wouldn't be obvious as they made their way out of the forests. Though the sun had set, the city was still bustling with people. Clubs and cafés were lit and busy. Nyase was momentarily distracted by an impromptu battle in the middle of the street that they were walking down.

Kojiro had known about the Pokémon convention being held in the Kogane Plaza for months now, but it was obvious that his team mates hadn't a clue. He had thought briefly about trying to attend, but had changed his mind. The fall of Rocket Dan's illustrious leader had thwarted his plans. Since the Masked Man had taken over, everything seemed to be balanced on a knife's edge. He didn't think that extracurricular plans would be beneficial to his continued participation in Rocket Dan.

Last night changed that. Mere hours before sunrise, Kojiro had used his DEX to reserve a room in a high-end, Western-style hotel on the west side of town, bordering the sea and a series of natural hot springs that the hotel had turned into baths.

"What about that one?" Musashi asked as they passed yet another hotel.

"Nope. No vacancy, see?" he replied, pointing out the neon sign out front of the small business.

"What's with this?" Nyase asked, looking at Kojiro suspiciously.

"There must be a convention in town," he said, feigning innocence.

"The entire town is booked?"

"Hopefully not. I know a place, though, that's a little further away from the convention. Maybe they'll have a room." Musashi's narrowed eyes told him that he was treading on thin ice, but she kept quiet and followed.

As he led them up the path to the hotel that he had found, Musashi was first stunned. The champagne coloured brick building rose up regally in front of them, its delicate-looking arches and paths cutting windingly through carefully maintained foliage belying the hotel's obvious elegance.

Musashi grabbed Kojiro by the shirt collar, her face mere inches from his, fire blazing in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" she growled. "One night here would wipe out our pay cheques for the rest of the season."

Kojiro offered her a smile. "I'll take care of it. Trust me, Musashi. I've been saving up. Don't worry."

"You've been saving up?" she asked, loosening her grip on his collar. Kojiro tugged his black undershirt back into place. "Since when?"

"Since always," he said, pulling a card from his wallet that she'd never seen before. Her eyes widened, surprised that her partner had kept this from her. "It's on me, I promise. We've been rolling around the forest floor for too long. I want a good night's sleep, too."

With that, he turned and walked into the hotel foyer, and while Musashi was busy being awestruck by the understated grandeur of the place, Kojiro went up to the counter to speak to the petite blonde hostess, who was waiting with a smile.

The blonde's brown eyes lit up like she'd hit the jackpot playing slots as he she watched him walk toward her.

"I'm here to check in; we have a reservation," he said in his warmest voice as he slid a folded slip of paper toward the hostess. She nodded, opening up the paper and scanning it quickly. 'The reservation is for the penthouse suite. Please don't say anything. I'm surprising her,' read the note. The hostess' smile wobbled as she looked over at Musashi enviously. Musashi was currently enamoured of the intricate mosaic on the floor.

The hostess nodded and he slid over the bank card that he had shown Musashi a moment prior. The card was linked to a secret account that Mondo had set up for him long ago. Security was not the only thing that Kojiro had bugged when he was in the mansion.

He gave the hostess a winning smile as he signed an illegible signature on the payment slip. According to the card, he was Deacon Rokijiro, an American-born Japanese.

"Your suite is on the top floor, Deacon-san. The elevator requires that you swipe your room key for access to the twelfth floor. If you require anything, just call the desk," she said dreamily, practically swooning. He graced the hostess with another brilliant smile while Musashi gave her a death-stare. Nyase scratched at his charm, ignoring the both of them.

"I will," he choked back a laugh as he looked at her name tag; she was turning red, trying to hold her breath to puff her chest out. "Masuki," he breathed, reading her name. "Thank you so much for your help." She sighed as she gave him the key-cards to the suite, and nodded, staring at his retreating form.

Kojiro led his team mates to the far side of the lobby. By the time they reached the elevator, Musashi was practically on fire.

"What the hell was that, Kojiro? Why were you flirting with that bimbo?" They stepped into the elevator when it arrived, and the doors closed. Kojiro slipped his key-card into the waiting reader and the elevator started upwards.

"I might have accidentally upgraded us," he said with a sly smile, holding out the second key-card for Musashi between two ungloved fingers. Musashi's eyes widened as she took the card from his grip delicately, staring at Kojiro's smiling face, suddenly in awe.

"Forget I said anything," she said, running her fingertips over the plastic like it was the key to a lost treasure. Kojiro barked a laugh.

"That was still disgusting," Nyase commented snidely. "She was practically eating you with her eyes."

"She would've been eating-" Musashi started before Nyase hopped up to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"I don't want to hear it," he hissed, staring her down. She shook him off as the elevator signaled that the twelfth floor was approaching. They disembarked from the elevator once the doors opened, Musashi almost tripping as the elevator announced that the floor that they were on was the penthouse floor. Musashi had stars in her eyes as she darted over to the door to stare at it in disbelief.

"The Penthouse? How- This is wonderful! Did you plan this?" she realized, looking over her shoulder. Kojiro nodded, shrugging with a small smile.

"Surprise?" he said softly. He landed heavily against the wall next to the elevator doors as Musashi launched herself into his arms, hugging him soundly. He laughed, settling his hands in the curve of her back. "You said you wanted a vacation. This was all I could do on short notice."

"I don't believe you pulled this off!" she said as the door opened into the suite. It smelled like heaven to Musashi, even before the lights were turned on. "Who are you and what have you done with my partner?" she said with a laugh.

Kojiro walked in after her, smiling to himself at her totally changed demeanour. He couldn't hold back a huge grin as she launched herself into the middle of the huge, plush canopy bed in the bedroom, burying her face in fresh sheets that smelled like sandalwood. He'd never seen her this excited; her happiness was infectious.

He went back into the other room and shucked off his boots and socks. Everything washable from his pack was immediately tossed into the in-room laundry machine and started up. The rest of the pack was dropped haphazardly onto the counter in the cozy-looking living room.

Kojiro sighed as he stretched, then pulled off his shirt as he headed immediately into the shower. He pulled the door closed behind him and shrugged off the rest of his clothing. Stepping into the marble and etched glass, he hissed as the hot water finally contacted his skin. It felt heavenly to be clean again after weeks spent out in the woods. River water just wasn't the same. It certainly wasn't the same temperature, even though the last couple of days, the cold water had been a blessing.

"Musashi?" he asked as a red blur ran past him and into the shower as he made his way out, wrapped in a plush terrycloth robe bearing the hotel's insignia. He heard her sigh in pleasure as the water, still hot, started pounding down on her shoulders.

"Hmm?" she asked, her crisp voice echoing against the stone walls of the shower.

"Would you like me to order room service?" he offered, smiling as he peeked around the corner. All he could see was the cascade of her red hair.

She was practically purring like Nyase as she answered, "Definitely. I'm starving."

"Anything in particular that you want?"

"Your choice. It's your dime, after all," she called out. Kojiro chuffed a laugh and went to the phone to order. The sushi, steak, and grilled vegetables would take a while before they arrived, so Kojiro took the time to open the doors to the balcony and to his thoughts.

Kojiro leaned out against the balcony rail, sighing as the cool wind whipped up and tossed his hair against his face. The day was winding down, finally cooling off, and all the world looked like it was on fire from the last rays of sun against the treeline. He would miss watching the sun set with his friends when this part of his life ended.

He would return to a world of unrelenting stuffiness, and rules without viable reason, and tradition that should not be upheld; rather, it should be torn out by the roots and razed. It wasn't fair! Why was this happening, he thought, when his life finally felt like it was his own? Part of him wanted to lean just a little too far over the edge and see what it was like to be the only one pulling the strings attached to the rest of his life, short though that it would make it.

Nyase walked out onto the balcony, shooting a questing look at Kojiro. "That blonde downstairs didn't upgrade us, did she?" Kojiro just smiled down at the cat, swallowing back his thoughts. "Right," he said slowly. "Even if I ask, you're not going to answer," he griped.

"Better you don't know. That way, if anyone ever asks, you can say you don't know anything and be telling the truth," Kojiro reasoned. He shifted his weight to the other foot, looking down at the ground from the 12th floor, enjoying the vertigo.

"What are you going to do?"

"About Rocket Dan?"

"No. Your parents," Nyase said, his voice reflecting a snide attitude. Kojiro knew that Nyase was covering up his worry, and took no offence.

"There's nothing that I can do, Nyase. If Mondo can't keep them at bay, I certainly can't. He's miles better at dealing with these sort of attacks than I am." He looked back over his shoulder at Nyase. "Don't worry about it, Nyase. There's nothing else we can do, so we may as well enjoy ourselves until something happens. You should go downstairs and check out the Pokémon lounge. Kick back and have a little fun. We're on vacation, after all."

Nyase grumbled as he wandered out. "Thanks, though," the cat shot back, "for doing this." It sounded forced, but genuine. Nyase was not used to thanking people, especially Kojiro.

"You're welcome, Nyase. We'll see you later. The second bedroom is yours," he said. "I think Musashi has claimed the master bedroom already."

"That mean you're sleeping on the couch?" he asked incredulously. Kojiro shrugged.

"When you're used to sleeping on the ground in a bag, a couch is a little slice of heaven. You deserve a little luxury. Enjoy it." Nyase just shook his head as he went out in search of company and food leaving Kojiro to his thoughts. The blue-haired Rocket remained on the balcony with his thoughts until the bell rang for room service.


	3. Chapter 3

All standard disclaimers apply. All recognizable characters (c) their respective creators. I own nothing except the plot and ideas contained herein. Rating subject to skyrocket.

* * *

Musashi emerged from her shower fresh-faced and already dressed down in a tank top and cotton pants; her usual fare in lieu of pajamas when they were sleeping anywhere but outside. Her robe was left hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She settled in on the sofa next to Kojiro and nabbed a plate of food from the service cart, her stomach growling as she snapped up her first piece.

"Good?" he asked, pushing the veggies around his own plate. Musashi nodded enthusiastically, strands of her still-damp hair falling freely from their knot.

"This is wonderful!" she exclaimed, eying the cart for seconds even though she hadn't yet finished her plate. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked, noticing that Kojiro hadn't eaten much. His usual bottomless pit of a stomach seemed to have been quelled.

"I'm fine," he denied with a smile. He knew that she hadn't believed him, but she let it be for the time being.

Once Musashi had stuffed herself to bursting, she reluctantly set her plate aside on the coffee table and leaned back into the plush cushions of the sofa, looking at Kojiro. He was still picking at his plate, avoiding her gaze. "What's going on?" she asked pointedly, not mincing her words to question him this time.

"Hm?" he asked, torn from his reflections. He sat back, setting his plate down next to hers as he gave her his attention. "I figured we needed a vacation. I don't know about you, but I was sure as hell sick of that forest. Kogane City is a welcome change after so long."

"That can't be all, Kojiro." His only answer was a shrug that could mean nothing or everything. Musashi felt her teeth begin to grind, but recognized that he wasn't going to be very forthcoming with her even if she pushed him. "Well, whatever the reason, thank you," she offered. "I *was* getting sick of the forest creepy crawlies napping with me."

He smiled warmly at her, then rose a moment later, taking their finished plates off to the kitchenette.

Musashi sat, her legs tucked beneath her on the sofa, still unable to shake the feeling that there was something wrong. "Kojiro?" she called, jumping up to stop him before he was able to leave the room. He turned as her hand touched his, and their eyes met.

"Yes?" he asked, his eyebrows raising.

"You don't have to take the couch tonight. The bed is more than big enough for the both of us," she offered, and he smiled.

"Thanks, Musashi," he said sincerely. "I think I'm going to head down to the bath springs," Kojiro said, leaving the invitation open. "The last couple of days have really taken it out of me."

"That sounds good," Musashi said, "but I don't want to get wet again right now. Maybe in the morning for me. I think I'm going to hit the sack."

"All right. I'll be back in a while," he replied, only somewhat put out. It would give him time to get his thoughts in order. He snapped up a fresh towel and tightened the belt on his robe, tucking his feet into the hotel slippers. The door shut with a snap behind him as he left, never noticing that Musashi's eyes followed him out.

The baths were located in an alcove on the first floor on the opposite side of the hotel property from the lobby. The alcove was nestled far enough away from the rest of the bustle of the hotel that it seemed to be in another place all together. The room had a canopy that was open to the night sky, the pools burrowed into the bedrock, clustered together in a twisting organic maze. The moonless night bearing down on the vacant area lent an air of solemnity and invitation, Kojiro thought as he watched the steam rise off the baths, condensing in the evening air.

He stripped off the hotel robe and tossed it onto a deck chair before wading into the farthest pool from the entrance. He settled into the steaming spring with a sigh, relishing the slight burn against his skin as he acclimated to the water's heat. The heat sank into him, melting away worries as he pressed his back against an outcropping of stone, trying to loosen the tense and knotted muscles of his upper back.

Rumika had once told him that he carried all of his stress in his shoulders, and she had thought the image of it amusing at the time; like he carried his world on his shoulders. He supposed that she had been right. The world he found himself in currently hinged on his decisions.

He ducked his head back, soaking his hair, turning his blue locks a shade darker, and slicking them back against his head. A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the sky, absently picking out the winter consellations amongst the stars. He didn't know how long he drifted there, his mind lost amongst the star fire, letting time escape him, and floating in the soothing water.

He was startled from his dreams as the water splashed higher against his bare chest. Another person had entered the bath, he realized, and tilted his head from the sky to see the identity of the intruder.

Across the pool from him stood the blond hostess who had checked them in earlier that evening. She was unabashedly naked except for a towel that she carried with her as she waded toward him, the water rising to just above the curve of her hips, hiding absolutely nothing from his starlit gaze.

She waded over to sit next to him, and Kojiro eyed her warily.

"Good evening, Deacon-san. Enjoying your night?" she asked, settling in with a glance his way.

"Masuki," he returned as she eyed him somewhat hungrily. "I have been enjoying the amenities, thank you," he said coolly.

She set her towel atop his at the ledge that he leaned against, her bare breast brushing against his arm. "It's such a nice night for the baths," Masuki said, her eyes dropping to rake over his bare chest, trying to catch a peek at what she knew was hidden in shadow beneath the water's surface. "I doubt we'll have many more stolen summer evenings before the weather turns."

Kojiro suppressed a snort. Stolen time, indeed, he mused. "It is a lovely evening, despite winter being upon us."

"Why did you look so unhappy just then, staring up at the sky?" she asked, her eyes boring into his as she sidled closer to him, the line of her body pressed against his under the water.

"My winter has already fallen, Masuki," he said pointedly, moving slightly away so as to detach her from his side. "I was just trying to relax and forget about the troubles that are waiting for me in the real world."

"Is there anything that I could do to help you forget abou those troubles, Deacon-san?" she asked coyly, not deterred at all, peering up at him through her thick lashes. The woman was about as subtle as a brick through glass, he thought.

Kojiro glanced down at the girl, shaking his head. "I appreciate the offer, Masuki, and though you would be tempting to any man, I'm here with someone."

"Your pretty red head?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes," he said softly with a smile.

"She's not here right now," she pointed out, coaxing. "I am. You are."

"No, Masuki."

"Nothing I can do to change your mind?" Her fingertips trailed over his collarbone, dropping off into the water as it neared his sternum.

"Not a thing," he assured.

"Even if you weren't with your woman?"

"I am, though."

"Maybe not anymore," she said slyly, glancing up at the pool's deck. His gaze followed hers, and met with what she was looking at, and his stomach felt like it dropped through the bath's floor.

Musashi stood there in the hotel robe and slippers, staring at the picture that Kojiro and the blonde sitting together in the baths. Korjio met Musashi's eyes, sparkling blue even in the low light.

Masuki smiled as she let herself float away, rising out of the water like a siren near a ship, the water evaporating off of her skin in waves of steam. She walked boldly past Musashi, who didn't seem to notice, fixed as her eyes were on Kojiro, who hadn't moved yet. She snagged a towel and left the baths with one last glance at Kojiro.

"Have a nice evening, Deacon-san."

Musashi stood stock still, still gripping her towel in her arms, holding it in front of her like a shield, her eyes blazing.

"Musashi-" He shook his head, torn between the sudden fear and uncertainty that gripped him.

Musashi turned on her heel and started to storm away. Kojiro didn't know how he ad gotten to her so quickly, but he reached her retreating form before she had even gotten out of the main area of the baths.

She was stilled as his arms came around her shoulders. She didn't struggle until he spoke.

"Musashi, please."

"Don't," she barked, tugging viciously with her shoulder. Still he didn't let go. "What the hell, Kojiro?" she spat angrily.

"She came onto me. I turned her down." he said into her fragrant cascade of hair, still damp from the shower she took earlier in the suite. Musashi went still as his words sank in.

"You turned her down?" she asked after a moment, her voice unreadable. Kojiro allowed his eyes to close, and loosened his grip on her.

"I turned her down," he confirmed.

"Why?"

"What?" Kojiro jerked, his eyes opening wide at the question.

"Why did you turn her down?"

He hadn't been prepared for that question, for any of this, but her body now leaning against his prompted his absolute honesty. The time for retreat had long passed. Kojiro would not run this time.

He turned her around to face him, not letting her body retreat from his. Musashi's eyes were closed as she came to face him, her arms still clutching the towel between them, her forearms pressed against his stomach. Kojiro brought his hand to cup her jaw, his fingers sinking into the hair tucked behind her ears, his thumbs brushing over the blushing apples of her cheeks as he tilted her head up. Her eyes were aligned with his as they slitted open to watch him curiously. Musashi's lips parted as she took in the look of longing that he finally allowed himself to gift her with.

"I turned her down because she's not the one that I want, Musashi." His heart was in his throat as those words forced their way past his lips as if on a soft sigh.

"Kojiro?" she asked breathlessly, unable to voice her question, sounding so, so small.

"I turned her down because she's not you. You're all that I've wanted for the longest time," he said softly, the words coming from a place within him that hadn't seen the light of day since he was a child. Kojiro leaned down, covering the scant inches that separated them and caught her parted lips with his own, his heart beating so fast that he thought it might explode at any moment.

Then, Musashi opened her mouth on a gasp as he ran his tongue across her lower lip, savouring the taste of both of them together after years of waiting. A groan rose up from deep within her, rocking him to the core as it filtered through him. The sweet heat of the kiss surpassed that of the water in the pools behind them, leaving Kojiro's mind feeling scorched. He would always remember this moment, always feel this burn, until the day that life left him.

The sound of people in the hotel brought Kojiro back to earth and he pulled away reluctantly, watching as Musashi seemed to realize where they were as well. The sounds of patrons faded back away, and they were again alone.

"It's always been you, Musashi," he told her, brushing the pad of his thumb over her cheek once more, his heart in his eyes for all the world to see, but there was only Musashi staring back.


	4. Chapter 4

Slight technical modifications made 2/21/2011. - Bekx

All standard disclaimers apply. All recognizable characters (c) their respective creators. I own nothing except the plot and ideas contained herein. Rating increase due to this chapter. For the full chapter, unedited for ffnet purposes, the link is as follows, without the spaces: http : / / sites . goo gle . com / site / gothangelic / Home / words / drink-and-dance-and-laugh-and-lie / dadalal-4

* * *

Musashi's expression glittered with a softness that Kojiro had rarely seen in her before. She watched him, seemingly shell-shocked as he let his hand fall free from her. Kojiro turned away slowly, the long line of his bare back there for her perusal. She absently noted that he did not seem to care a whit about his complete state of undress, and part of her wondered at that. He seemed more sheepish in regards to the situation she had found him in than embarrassed by his nakedness.

He felt her watching as he stepped back into the pool, intent on retrieving the towel he left on the ledge where he'd been sitting, and to recover some of his lost dignity, not that he felt that he had much left at that point. Mentally, he was berating himself in his uncertainty. If Musashi didn't share his feelings, he had just condemned himself to misery in his last days of freedom. It was unfair, he thought. If he was going to be forcibly miserable for his foreseeable future, he should at least have the fond memory of days spent in enjoyment, memories of joyful moments with his friends and partners to sustain himself, even if he were never to be happy again.

"Kojiro," Musashi called from behind him and he turned slightly, wondering what was going to be next. He had hoped she would at least let him put some manner of clothing on before berating him.

However, instead of harsh words or something thrown at him for his bold assumptions, Kojiro found himself tackled bodily from behind. He was knocked backward with an armful of Musashi, her arms snaking around him and her lips stealing his breath as they both submerged with a splash. Musashi's lips were insistent, hotter than the ambient water surrounding them. The water deafened them with its pressure as they sank like change thrown into a fountain, their limbs twining around the other, trying to be as close together as their separate skins allowed.

If this was to be his final happy memory, Kojiro thought, then he would walk through fire and hell a content man, knowing that somewhere, sometime, someone had actually felt about him the same way he did them. He would carry the memory of Musashi's kisses with him.

She dragged him back above the water with her, tearing away from his lips only as the need for air became urgent, and their lungs started to burn. They broke the surface with a gasp, rising like a phoenix from its ashes. Musashi trembled as she buried her face in the hollow of Kojiro's throat, her hands clutching convulsively at his shoulders. Kojiro felt her shudder as he righted himself, one arm still around her sopping form. They floated along in the chest-deep water in the center of the pool, neither one quite sure where to go from there. Kojiro gently tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear as he looked down at her.

"Musashi?" he asked softly, his voice trembling with possibility, not yet daring to hope. She looked back up at him with fire in her blue eyes.

"You can't just tell me that, kiss me like that, and then turn away from me," she said edgily, a beast woken from its slumber. If the water droplets streaming down her face looked more like tears, he did not mention it. His free hand sank to graze her throat with knuckles as he smiled down at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just wasn't sure..." he trailed off, staring at her, unbelieving that she was actually there in his arms, willingly, and without some impending disaster driving her to seek comfort. Part of him believed that he had fallen asleep in the water and drown on his dreams.

"What?" she asked breathily, her hands dipping below the surface, sliding down his arms to catch his free hand, one coming to rest on the side of his hip, her thumb caressing the slight jut of bone there.

"I never dared dream that you felt anything for me like what I do for you," he said, wonder evident in his voice, strung though with only a thread of apprehension.

"And how is that?" she asked coyly through a flush that was beginning at her cheeks and working its way down her neck.

In for a penny, he though, swallowing his heart back down from his throat as he watched her blush spread prettily. "I'm in love with you."

When Musashi smiled slowly, tilting her head up from her position in his arms and raising herself slightly higher in the water, drawing herself up against him, the breath he was taking died in his throat. Her lips claimed his and his mind left him.

Musashi's hands slid further around him, roaming his back briefly as she kissed him. His mouth ached with the taste of her, which was denied him for so long, and a familiar hunger rose within him, brought to life by the way her mouth ate away at his lips and sanity, delicate grazes of her teeth against soft flesh. The wet robe held valiantly onto her shoulders lost its purchase to his hands when they pushed impatiently at it, baring her to his sight. The soaked terrycloth dropped heavily into the water around her waist, clinging on only due to the sash which remained stubbornly tied. Fingers trailed down the dip above her collarbone, following it downward. Kojiro pressed his hand gently above her sternum, the palm of his hand nestled between her breasts, relishing the thrum of her heartbeat against his skin.

Kojiro's tongue came to play at her lips, and she opened her mouth to greet him with a moan. A shudder ran through him when she tasted him, their tongues meeting shyly as she licked his full bottom lip in playful swipes. He was sure he groaned when her eyes fluttered behind closed eyelids, then opened half-lidded to peek at him through thick lashes as if she were seeing him for the first time. Musashi's blue eyes appeared almost black with desire, her pupils dilated, the iris nearly invisible in the nighttime light. Her hands trailed lower, her knuckles grazing the plane of his stomach before moving lower yet.

Kojiro jerked, gasped, and stilled her hands when he felt her grasp him, her hand wrapping around him with searing heat. Her eyes widened when her fingertips could not meet. "Stop," he choked out, though it nearly killed him, gasping as she pressed the line of her body against the front of him, trapping her hand. "Not here," he pleaded. Kojiro had one chance to do this right, and he didn't want the interruptions that were sure to plague them in a public place. She deserved better than the best he had to give her, he knew, but he would not do her the insult of doing any less than his best.

Musashi took a shuddering breath, nodding, releasing him slowly, and taking a step back, making her way back out onto the deck. Kojiro saw the sight that she made, wet and bare and flushed in the night, tempting him like water in a desert, and almost lost his will. He turned away from her, and time seemed to skip forward for him. He hurried to get the woefully insufficient towel from where he left it, wrapping it around his hips hastily as he emerged from the water, leaving him with very little modesty despite being covered. The towel, it seemed to Musashi, only served to give very specific hints about her friend's bodily build.

The robe that had been covering the last of Musashi finally gave in, dropping off into the water as she rose out of the pool. She dragged it over, barely remembering to retrieve her key card, and dropped it onto a deck chair. Kojiro silently offered her the robe that he had worn down to the bathing area, holding it out to her on two extended fingers. Musashi smiled, wrapping it around her body, hiding it from his starving eyes as they followed her movements. They toed on their slippers, and made their way blindly back through the hotel.

If asked, Kojiro wouldn't have been able to say precisely how they had managed to make it to the elevators, let alone all the way up to the penthouse room. He would, however, be able to say that the journey had taken far too long.

Nyase was blessedly absent from the room when the door swing open against Musashi and Kojiro's combined weight as he flattened her against it, kissing her desperately while trying to make sense of the now-far-too-complex key card and locking mechanism. They eventually made it in, and the towel, robe, slippers, and key card fell to the floor in a heap, forgotten in lieu of more pleasurable pursuits.

[Adult-type-touching here. If you're over 18, see the link on my profile, or at the top of this chapter.]


	5. Chapter 5

All standard disclaimers apply. All recognizable characters (c) their respective creators. I own nothing except the plot and ideas contained herein.

* * *

Musashi lay bonelessly on the bed, her head pillowed on Kojiro's shoulder, tucked into his side a while later. She was trying to reconcile the new knowledge of the man next to her with the friend, the partner, that she knew. He had been so careful with her after they had finished, treating her like she was made of glass. He had found the strength, somehow, to retrieve a wash cloth from the bathroom to clean them up when Musashi wasn't sure that she would be able to stand without her legs collapsing under her own weight.

Now, though, he seemed sheepish, almost shy with her, his fingertips trailing up and down her arm as he held her close. He had freely admitted to loving her. No, she corrected herself. He had told her that he was in love with her. She almost couldn't believe it. They had been denouncing the evils of that particular subject for years now, but she supposed that had only actually been her. Musashi knew that his words were truth, however. She had caught glimpses before when he didn't know that she was looking. Musashi knew him well enough to understand his reasons for not having said anything earlier. At least, she thought she had; his actions during the past few days seemed unfathomable to her, especially what had happened earlier. He loved her. She'd slept with him. Her paradigm had shifted, leaving her floundering in the aftermath like a Koiking in the desert.

"You're thinking so hard that I can hear you, Musashi," he stated, shifting slightly, the beginnings of discomfort apparent. "I had hoped that I did better than that," he said playfully, a thread of nervousness winding through the statement, made only partially in jest.

She gave him a warning glance, a blush suffusing her face, reddening her cheeks in the dim light filtering in through gauzy curtains.

"Sorry," he said a moment later with a shy smile, the awkward kind that she was used to. "I'm a little out of my depth here. Still a little nervous," he said. "I don't want to have disappointed you."

"You," she stated incredulously, feeling like she had choked on her tongue, "are worried about having not lived up to my expectations?" He shrugged with the shoulder that her head wasn't currently occupying, not giving her an answer. "After all that, you didn't think I..." Musashi's eyes were huge as she shook her head staring up at him, completely at a loss for words. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "What did you think I was expecting that you were worried about disappointing me?"

"I don't know," he said softly. "I've never..." Kojiro trailed off, biting his lip, his face was still turned away from her. He had pulled the coverlet up further, but refused to relinquish his hold on her as she pushed herself up higher to face him.

"What, Kojiro?" she asked, worried now. Surely, she hadn't been his first, she thought. Not after that.

"It's never been enough," he said quietly.

"Enough?" she exclaimed. "Enough for who?" As soon as she blurted the question, her mind engaged. She knew the answer before he could say it.

"Rumika," he whispered, clearly embarrassed now. "I tried," he said somewhat brokenly, trying to find the words to explain, "but no matter what, I wasn't good enough." Musashi saw red. Rumika had trained him, she realized, and trained him to think that no matter what, he would never be good enough. Musashi knew though, firsthand, that that was absolutely not the case.

"I'm sorry," he said again, and she could hear his heart breaking. He made to let her go, to move away from her, and she realized that she hadn't spoken in over a minute. She quickly wrapped her arms around him, keeping him close as she formed her body along his. Her hands gentled him like a skittish creature, and he settled after a moment, lying back against the pillows.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she insisted. "It doesn't matter what she told you, Kojiro. She was wrong."

"Musashi?" The raw hope in his voice tugged at her, and she smiled. She placed a gentle kiss on his mouth, feeling his lips pull upward under her own.

"There's nothing to be worried about," she assured him. "You were amazing," she said honestly, her face heating up further, her body quivering in remembrance.

"Really?"

"Quit fishing for compliments," she groused, trying to cover her embarrassment. He let a chuckle overtake him, relaxing slightly, still relishing the feel of her against him.

"Yes, Musashi." They lay there quietly for a while, Musashi's fingertips tracing the contours of Kojiro's chest and abs. She thought he had fallen asleep, but he spoke again a bit later, having been mulling his question about in his head for a bit before dredging up the courage to ask it. "Does it bother you that I've been with her?"

"No, although it's strange to think about," she said. "It's just part of who you are." Kojiro let out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Thank you," he sighed, part of the world's weight lifting off of his shoulders.

"In fact," she continued with a slight smile. "I suppose I should be thanking her."

Kojiro coughed at the thought. "That would be an awkward conversation," he said, unsettled by the prospect of Musashi and Rumika chatting it up about him. Most especially about his skills in the bedroom. He suspected that they would be on opposite sides of that conversation, were it to ever come about.

"That does explain a bit about you, though," she said.

Kojiro's brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"The dungeon, for one thing," she replied. "And that you came when I bit you," Musashi said, reddening. He laughed, and the sound came through genuinely and echoed bone-deep through Musashi. "What?" she asked, goosebumps forming on her arms.

"I suppose it's a little late to be warning you about this," he said, mirth still echoing in his voice. "That was the only part that I actually enjoyed out of everything that happened with Rumika."

"The dungeon?" she asked, her eyebrows shooting up to meet her hairline.

"Parts of it," he admitted.

"How could you enjoy it if she was so awful to you?" she asked curiously.

"It's difficult to explain if you've never experienced it," Kojiro remarked flatly, reflecting on the strange turn the conversation had taken. "Are you sure you really want to know this?" he asked with a twist of his brow. Musashi nodded, glancing up at him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "All right," he conceded. "To put it bluntly, Rumika may have been overbearing and horrible to most of the time, but she knows what she's doing in that dungeon."

"Remind me not to smack you anymore. Your adolescence was twisted," she murmured, her brows falling to a more normal height.

"As was my youth. And my teen-aged years. And now, my twenties. I'm sure it's not going to get any better on down the line," he pointed out. "Despite being absolutely crazy, she could be tolerable when she and my parents weren't scheming together." He shuddered. "What they pulled the last time trying to get me home was unforgivable."

"What is it with them trying to marry you off to her?" she asked.

When Kojiro's face fell, Musashi wished she hadn't spoken.

"There's a contract," he revealed. "We've been betrothed since birth. If I'm ever to inherit my parents' estate, we are to be married. Not just married in name. Married, consummated, death-do-us-part, the whole kit and caboodle."

"That's..." she shook her head, not having the words.

"Crazy. I know. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot I can do to get out of it. It's legal and binding."

"Are you going to marry her?" Musashi asked, horrified. "Is that what this is all about?" Kojiro grimaced.

"If my parents get their way, I'll have to," he replied, skirting the question. "I certainly don't want to."

Musashi went quiet, burying her face in his shoulder. His arms tightened around her. Kojiro cursed himself and the situation they found themselves in. He shouldn't have said anything, but his mind was still missing somewhere between bath-side and bedsheets where he'd lost it to her wiles, and he'd gone and upset her.

"Hey," he said, catching her chin with his fingertips, bringing her face to to look at him. "Nothing for you to worry about, Musashi. I'm here."

"But you'll be married to her!" she said, sounding broken at the thought.

"Musashi," he said, the depth of his emotion echoing in his words as his fingers wove their way through her hair, "I love you. Not her. Nothing you could do would change my feelings for you. I know you, Musashi. I love you." Kojiro said his words so matter-of-factly that it brought a mist of tears to her eyes. "And believe me, I won't ever want to go back to my parents' nest of lies and Rumika's scheming. I can be who I am with you. You've never tried to make me into something that I'm not."

"Except a girl," she corrected with only a slight hiccup in her voice. Kojiro smiled.

"Except a girl," he assented with a smile. "Disguises are worn to be taken off, Musashi. You know what I mean." She nodded, her sapphire eyes locked on his shimmering emeralds. Musashi's eyes slipped closed as Kojiro's lips brushed her jawline, and she caught the scent of his hair as he tucked in close.

"How long have you been wearing the friend disguise for me?" she asked, though not unkindly, threading her fingers through his hair when he tucked his face into her neck. He shifting downward as her top leg pressed against his thigh, laying so that they shared the plush pillow, watching each other face-to-face.

"It wasn't an instantaneous thing," he began, folding their hands together, lacing his olive-toned fingers with her pale ones and marvelling at the fit. She gave him a look. "What?" he asked, playfully, a half-smile forming. "You've always been my friend, but I guess after spending so long together, I couldn't help but fall for you."

"So it could have been anyone," she said.

"I really don't think so."

"Was it that I looked like her?"

"Absolutely not," he said vehemently. "There's no love lost between Rumika and me. You know that. I think it was the spark that you hold within you that drew me to you. You've always had that little something extra, even when you do the simplest things."

"Does it bother you that I've been with someone else?" Musashi asked, seemingly out of the blue. There had only been one other, and he had fallen by the wayside long, long ago.

"No," he said, definitely, so nonchalantly that Musashi suspected that he was hiding something.

"No?" she prompted.

"No. Like you said, it's just part of who you are. She had a sudden twinge of guilt. Musashi hadn't replied in kind to his words. Something must have shown on her face when he looked up from their intertwined fingers. "I love you so much," he whispered, and she had to look away from the intensity of his stare.

"I... " she began, stuttering to a halt.

"It's okay," he said a moment later, not letting her torture herself with thoughts of what she wasn't able to say yet. "You don't have to. I meant it when I said that there's nothing you can say, or not say for that matter, can change how I feel about you. Even if you don't love me. I know myself. This isn't going to go away."

"It's against everything that I thought I knew," she said, fighting with herself.

"It doesn't matter if you say it or not, Musashi," he insisted.

"It matters to me. You're my best friend, Kojiro. I've never- I can't... "

"Ssh," he hushed softly, offering her a smile. "I love you. Nothing else matters."

"But this changes everything," she said, on the verge of tears.

"It doesn't change anything. We're still us; still Kojiro and Musashi and Nyase. Still Rocket Dan. The only thing that's different is that now you know how I feel," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. "It's you and me and Nyase against the word, like it always is."

Musashi's expression softened, her free hand reaching up to catch a lock of blue between her fingers as she leaned up to press a kiss to her friend's, her partner's, her lover's, invitingly soft lips. The small token of affection was all that Kojiro needed, and his heart felt like it fluttered in his chest.

"I believe we're thinking entirely too much, Musashi," he said, brushing her tangled hair back over her shoulder, returning her kiss gently. "The world will still be here tomorrow." She smiled, nodding, and tucking herself into his embrace, and they slept.

The night fled softly on little cat feet.


End file.
